Carousel mechanism



June 29, 1965 w. c. COTTRELL ETAL CAROUSEL MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 10, 1962 INVENTORS WARREN C. COTTRELL 8 FREDERICK HJ? SCHUCK BY 7 Z i u i 1 their ATTORNEYS June 29, 1965 w. c. COTTRELL ETAL 3,191,930

CAROUSEL MECHANISM Filed July 10, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS WARREN .C. COTTRELL Bu FREDERICK H.F. SCHUCK eir ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,191,330 CAROUSEL MECHANISM Warren C. Cottrell, 1569 S Jefferson Ave., and Frederick H. P. Schuck, 808 Pinellas St, both of Clearwater, Fla. Filed July 10, 1962, Ser. No. 208,728 4 Claims. (61. 272--31) This invention relates to carousel mechanisms and, more particularly, to a carousel mechanism having a top mounted drive and a slotted crank arrangement for imparting a vertical reciprocating motion to figurines.

The invention is directed toward a miniature or toy carousel for the delight and entertainment of children and for use in commercial advertising, but the inventive concepts involved are readily adaptable to full-size caro-usels.

Heretofore, carousels typically have been driven each by a motor mounted on a base beneath the rotating carousel platform and linked to a large circular gear beneath the platform. The necessity of providing a base below the platform of sufficient depth to contain a motor and a large, often complicated gear system increases the cost of manufacture considerably and requires a large amount of space in the base.

Various means of providing vertical reciprocating motions to the carousel figurines have been used, such as tracks under the platform upon which wheels with eccentric pins roll, undulating surfaces which actuate sliding rods, and earns that actuate rods causing a rocking as well as a vertical motion. Wheels which depend on friction for rotation are subject to slipping and may also leave the tracks. The shafts on undulating surfaces tend to bind in the openings provided. The cam and rod arrangement produces a rocking motion which is dangerous to children and full-size carousels and is unrealistic when applied to miniature carousels. Further, all such arrangements in the base require a large space.

The present invention provides a carousel drive arrangement in which the drive motor is mounted on a ceiling plate of the carousel platform beneath and covered by the carousel top canopy. The motor is linked by a belt or gear, for example, to a fixed shaft through the center of the ceiling plate about which the carousel ceiling plate and platform are free to rotate. Thus, as the motor is powered and drives the belt or gear, the platform and ceiling are thereby caused to rotate around the fixed shaft. Since it is unnecessary to provide space below the platform floor, the base structure is simpler and less expensive. Further, the space beneath the canopy top, normally wasted for this purpose, is fully utilized.

Assembly of the operating mechanism is facilitated and full utilization of the space beneath the top canopy is achieved by the placement on the ceiling plate of both the main carousel drive described above and the vertical actuating arrangement for animals or similar figurines. The figurines are positioned between the ceiling and the main carousel platform on vertical rods, each rod being connected to a plate above the ceiling that has a horizontal slot. The plate and rod, and thus the figurine, are caused to reciprocate vertically by a pin which fits into the slot and which is driven in a circular movement in a vertical plane by a gear caused to rotate as the carousel rotates. There is no undesirable rocking motion imparted by this crank arrangement, and the linkage is direct and does not depend upon friction for operation. Further, since the crank arrangement is installed in the top of the carousel, the need for space below the floor of the platform, such as that required for undulating surfaces or tracks, is thereby eliminated.

A detailed description of the invention follows, which is to be read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

- friction between the belt and the pulley 21 on the vertical FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a carousel in accordance with the invention, with a portion of the canopy cut away to reveal part of the mechanism;

FIG. 2 is atop view of the carousel of FIG. 1 with the canopy removed;

FIG. 3 is a partial section view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a partial sect-ion view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3'showing the details of the crank arrangement.-

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a hollow vertical shaft 10 is mounted in a fixed position on a bottom plate 11. A11 upper disk or ceiling plate 12 and a lower disk or platform 13 joined by columns 14 are rotatably mounted on the. vertical shaft. A canopy 15 extends from the shaft to an edge piece 16. A number of figurines 36 are mounted on push rods 35in the space between the upper disk 12 and the lower disk 13.

As shown in FIG. 3, a motor 17 is mounted on the upper disk 12 and is linked to the vertical shaft 10 by means of a pulley 18 on motor shaft 19, a belt 20, and a fixed pulley 21 mounted on the vertical shaft. Power is supplied through electrical wires 22 which enter the bottom plate 11, travel upwardly through the vertical shaft 10, and are connected to collector rings 23. Brushes 24 (-FIG. 2) bear against the collector rings and supply power to the motor 17 as well as to several lights 25. A condenser 26, shown in FIG. 2, is provided for the motor 17, but it is understood that a condenser is not required for certain types of motors.

As may be seen, as the motor 17 drives the belt 20,

shaft 10 causes the upper disk 12, and thus the entire carousel, to rotate around the vertical shaft.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a circular gear 27 is aflixed to the vertical shaft 10. Several beveled gears 28 attached to horizontal shafts 29 are radially disposed about th vertical shaft and mesh with and are driven by the circular gear 27. Each shaft 29 is secured in brackets 30 and connected to a cam piece 37 consisting of a cam plate 31 having an eccentrically located pin 32. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pin resides in a horizontal slot 33 in a plate 34. A hollow vertical push rod 35 is attached to the plate, and a figurine 36 is mounted on the push rod. Upon rotation of the cam plate 31, the slotted plate 34 is moved upwardly and downwardly, while the pin 32 slides from side to side in the slot 33. The lower part of the push rod fits over a fixed rod 38 attached to the lower disk or platform 13 in a telescoping fashion.

A number of such crank arrangements may be interconnected on each horizontal shaft as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the power train is from the shaft 29, through the pin 32 to a cam plate 31, and thence through a shaft 29' to another cam piece 37.

As may be seen, a novel carousel drive arrangement has been provided which is located entirely within the top portion of the carousel mechanism. It will be appreciated, however, that various modifications of the features described may be effected. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the following claims.

We claim:

1. A carousel mechanism comprising a fixed vertical shaft, an upper disk and a lower disk coupled together and rotatably mounted on the vertical shaft, drive means on the upper surface of the upper disk, means coupled to said drive means for rotating the upper and lower disks about the vertical shaft, a plurality of figurines disposed between the upper and lower disks, and means mounted on the upper surface of the upper disk and coupled to said drive means and coupled through the upper disk to the figurines for imparting movement to the figurines.

2. The carousel mechanism recited in claim 1, wherein the drive means comprises a motor mounted on the upper surface of the upper disk, a fixed pulley mounted on the fixed vertical shaft, and a closed loop belt driven by the mot-or engaging the fixed pulley, thereby to rotate the upper disk ast-he belt is driven by the motor. 7

3. A carousel mechanism comprising a fixed vertical shaft, an upper disk and a lower disk coupled together and rotatably mounted on the vertical shaft, drive means on the upper surface of the upper disk for rotating the upper and lower disks about the vertical shaft, a plurality of figurines disposed between the upper and lower disks, a fixed gear mounted on the fixed vertical shaft, a plurality of radially disposed crank arrangements mounted on the upper disk and each having a first gear that meshes with the fixed gear, a plurality of horizontally projecting pins each driven in substantially circular movement in a vertical plane by a different one of said first gears, a plurality of plates coupled to said figurines and each having a horizontally disposed slot to receive a different one of said pins, thereby to reciprocate the figurines vertically as the upper disk is rotated.

4. In a carousel mechanism, the combination of a fixed vertical shaft, a plate member having upper and lower surfaces and mounted for rotation about the vertical shaft, drive means mounted on the upper surface of the plate member, means coupling said drive means to the vertical shaft for rotating the plate member about the vertical shaft, a plurality of figurines disposed below the plate member, means mounted on the upper surface of the plate member and coupled to the vertical shaft and coupled through the plate member to the figurines for imparting movement to the figurines, and means defining a cover for the plate member for obscuring from view the first and second drive means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 30,686 11/60 Nevers 74-50 1,204,681 11/16 Miller 27242 2,513,607 7/50 Webb 27239 2,657,928 11/53 McDonald 27231 2,842,895 7/5 8 Bortolazzo 27231 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner. 

4. IN A CAROUSEL MECHANISM, THE COMBINATION OF A FIXED VERTICAL SHAFT, A PLATE MEMBER HAVING UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT THE VERTICAL SHAFT, DRIVE MEANS MOUNTED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE PLATE MEMBER, MEANS COUPLING SAID DRIVE MEANS TO THE VERTICAL SHAFT FOR ROTATING THE PLATE MEMBER ABOUT THE VERTICAL SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF FIGURINES DISPOSED BELOW THE PLATE MEMBER, MEANS MOUNTED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE PLATE MEMBER AND COUPLED TO THE VERTICAL SHAFT AND COUPLED THROUGH THE PLATE MEMBER TO THE FIGURINES FOR IMPARTING MOVEMENT TO THE FIGURINES, AND MEANS DEFINING A COVER FOR THE PLATE MEMBER FOR OBSCURING FROM A VIEW THE FIRST AND SECOND DRIVE MEANS. 